518 PRACTICE OF GARDENING, Part III. 



2719 Nursing-pit with fire-heat. The nursing-pit is generally flued, but some adopt a common dung hot- 

 bed, and others the flued pit or bed recommended by M'Phail, and which answers extremely well. The 

 minimum depth of the bark-bed in the nursing-house, Abercrombie states, to be three feet ; " the maximum 

 three and a half. The less depth is the right, when bark alone is employed to produce the bottom heat ; 

 and the greater, when tree-leaves are substituted on account of their weaker influence. In either case, 

 the pit may be six inches shallower than that in the fruiting-house ; because the requisite altitude in the 

 different pits partlv depends on the perpendicular dimension of the pots, and on the thickness to which a 

 layer of old bark must reach from the surface, to keep the pots from contact with the new bark, that the 

 roots may not be burnt. In the nursery-pit, the neutral layer need not be deeper than eight inches." " If 

 the bark-bed has been in action to bring forward a previous set of plants, now removed to the succession- 

 pit, recruit it by taking away the wasted bark, to the extent of a sixth, fourth, third, or half part, and by 

 substituting an equal quantity of fresh. A lively bottom heat is requisite to make pine offsets strike 

 freely. 



27a). Same growers of pines, he adds, " who cannot command higher means, choose to cultivate 

 crowns and suckers in pits without flues. As the aid of the furnace, however, allows a freer admission of 

 air, and prevents the necessity of covering the glasses in very cold days, it is not to be deliberately rejected 

 from the nursing-pit, when new buildings, or fundamental alterations, are in agitation — unless the vici- 

 nity of some large establishment for horses should offer a regular supply of dung, without much expense of 

 carriage. When dung is employed, it is proper to force with that alone. The bottom heat from tan-bark 

 or tree-leaves is alwavs to be preferred, in combination with flues." 



2721. Speedily adopts the iiued pit, and occasionally the frame, but generally a part of the succession- 

 pit. Nicol the nursing-house. Griltin adopts three houses, the two last diminutives of the first, which is 

 the common pine-stove of Nicol and Abercrombie. Baldwin makes use of a succession or nursing bed, 

 without lire-heat, and of a fruiting-stove, both smalL 



2722. Nursing-pit, without fre-heat. " Hot-beds used for growing suckers," Speechly 

 observes, " should be well prepared, and the violence of the heat allowed to be fully 

 over before the suckers are taken oft'. It is then to be levelled and covered with eight 

 or ten inches of tan, into which to plunge the pots." (Treat, on the Pine, 34.) M'Phail, 

 who, when gardener to the Earl of Liverpool, was reckoned one of the best pine-growers 

 in England, recommends the brick bed of his invention as answering well for small suc- 

 cession-plants. " A pit," he says, "built on the same construction, but of larger 

 dimensions, without cross flues, is a suitable one for growing pine-apple plants of any 

 size ; for by linings of dung the air in it can be kept to a degree of heat sufficient to 

 grow and ripen the pine-apple in summer, as well as it can be done with fire-heat ; only 

 it will require a little more labor and plenty of dung." Baldwin, as already observed, 

 grows both his nursery and succession plants in a bark-bed excited by external linings 

 of dung. 



2723. Culture of nursing-plants. Whether pits or hot-beds be adopted, the potting, 

 temperature, air, water, &c. are nearly the same. 



2724. Potting bi) Speechly. For full-sized crowns and suckers, Speechly employs pots six inches diame- 

 ter at top, and five and a half inches deep. Less-sized suckers and crowns, he puts in less-sized pots. He 

 pots ripe or knobby-bottomed suckers immediately after taking off, letting the others lie a few days to har- 

 den. He inserts the end of the sucker no farther'into the earth than what is necessary to hold the plant 

 fast. They are to remain ten or twelve days without water, and afterwards be watered twice a week. 

 {Treat, on the Pine, 37.) 



2725. Potting by Abcrcromfrie. " The pots, to receive unstruck crowns and suckers, should be three 

 inches in diameter, inside measure, and four inches and a half deep, for the smaller plants, four inches in 

 diameter, and six inches deep, for the larger. Lay at the bottom of each pot dry shivers, or clean gravel, 

 to an inch in depth. Fill the pots with the compost before described, not pressing it too close. With a 

 dibble make a hole, for the smaller plants, two inches deep ; and two inches and a half, for the larger. Set 

 the plants/and level the surface of the mould, leaving a vacancy half an inch deep from the rim. Plunge 

 the pots in the bark-bed down to their rims, leaving between each an interval equal to the diameter of the 

 pot. After planting, shut the house; and withhold water and admissions of air for some time." 



2726. M'PhaiPs mode of potting. " The fruit being partly over, and a cucumber brick bed prepared for 

 unstruck crowns and suckers, towards the end of August or in September, I planted them in rich earth in 

 pots suitable to the size of the plants ; I then had the pots plunged to their rims in the tan-bed in which 

 there was a good growing heat ; the lights were then shut down close, and as great a heat kept among the 

 plants as the heat of the tan and sunshine could raise, and when the sun shone long and very bright, the 

 plants were shaded a few hours in the middle of the day. The plants were thus managed till they had 

 struck root and begun to grow, when a gentle watering was given to them, and a little air admitted daily. 

 About the end of October, or beginning of November, if the state of the bed required it, a little fresh tan 

 was added, and if the plants bv growth had become crowded, some of them were removed into another 

 place, and the remainder plunged into the tan-bed, in which they continued till February or March, when 

 of course the bed required an addition of fresh tan, which was given it, and the plants plunged again into 

 it at such distances one from the other as to give them room to grow." 



2727. Potting by Nicol. Twist off a few of the bottom leaves, and pare the end of the stump smooth with 

 the knife. Then till pots of about three or four inches diameter, and five or six inches deep, (the less for the 

 least, and the large for the largest plants,) with very fine, light earth, "or with entire vegetable mould of 

 tree-leaves, quite to the brim ; previously placing an inch of clean gravel in the bottom of each, and ob- 

 serving to lay in the mould loosely. Thrust the large suckers down to within two inches of the gravel, and 

 the small ones and crowns, two inches into the mould ; firming them with the thumbs, and dressing offthe 

 mould, half an inch below the margin of the pots. Then plunge them into the bark -bed, quite down to, or 

 rather below the brim, especially of the smaller pots. If the pots be placed at the clear distance of three 

 or four inches from each other, according to the sizes of the plants, they will have sufficient room to grow 

 till next shifting. 



2728. Potting by Griffin and Baldwin. Griffin plants suckers and crowns in pots five inches diameter, 

 and four inches deep ; and very strong ones in pots seven and a quarter wide by six and a half deep. Bald- 

 win plants his nursing plants in the bark-bed, without pots. 



2729. Temperature of nursing-plants. Speechly does not mention his summer tem- 

 perature for nursing-plants, farther than referring to a peculiar thermometer which he 

 used, and " made for sale ;" but he says, after the beginning of November, " the house 

 should be kept in a cold state, and little or no water given the plants till the middle or 

 latter end of January." (Treat, on the Pine, p. 39.) 



